It is a real story of a 14 year old kid who was dropped out of school because he had no money to pay the fee and who then managed to set up first windmill in a village. He is just 22 years old now.
It is post independence history. It talks about the politics, permit raj, red tapism, bureaucracy, favoritism and nepotism etc which every Indian knew. Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shstry, Indira Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi all were from middle class and had grown to a level where they became a role model for many people. It talks about how middle class started growing. How the banks got established to fund the young entrepreneurs. However, the book doesn’t have any valuable insights for future. Hence it is not interesting. Mahatma Gandhiji’s message is good and it is summarized below.
Mahatma Gandhi’s advice on Independence day in West Bengal: “Beware of power, power corrupts….Don’t let yourself be entrapped by its pomp and pageantry. Remember, you are in office to serve the poor in India’s villages.” And just few days later, he wrote the following lines for an unknown visitor:
“I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of poorest and weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to Swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melting away.”
